Mosaic article



Dec. 29, 1931. F. J. RHODES 1,838,108

MOSAIC ARTICLE lNVENTOR ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1931.

F. J. RHODES 1,838,108

AAAAAAAAAAA LE lNVENTG ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1931. F. J. RHODES 1,838,108

MOSAIC ARTICLE Filed Sept. 27 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 @MMM/Arda lNVENTOR ATTORNEY Dec. 29, 1931. F. J RHODES 1,838,108

MOSAIC ARTICLE Filed Sept. 27 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Ell' |311 NV ENTOR M mmm/jf ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE FERNAND JOSEPH RHODES', OF PARIS, FRANCE MOSAIC ARTICLE Application led September 27, 1926, Serial No; 137,870, and in Italy October 3, 1925.

rllhe pres-ent invention relates to materials nite number of ornamental designs. In the used in the mosaic industry and more parpresent invention, the elementary tile is not ticularly to the manufacture of tiles and other square, or even rectilinear, but has limiting elements used in Jforming mosaic designs. ed-ges Which are curves formed by one or sevprovide improved tile elements having curved elements are designed so as to permit the eleoutlines, said elements being capable of bements to be combined in various Ways to ing combined to give an indefinite number yield any number of decorative outlines. orn designs. The various objects of the invention are obin Another object is to provide mosaic eletained by means of the proc-edures illustrated 55 ments which Will have the following characin the accompanying figures in which: teristics: (a) juxtaposability with one an- Fig. 1 represents a fundamental square other irrespective of size; (b) absence of antile upon which are described 8 arcs of circles. gles suticiently acute to render their use as Figs 2 to 10 sho7 various forms of blocks. a material ot construction impractical; Figs. 11 to 19 illustrate a limited number 60 diversity of angles in each element, each anof many possible decorative combinations obgle having denite relation to the others tained by juxtaposing the blocks in various (600, 90o and 120O are preferable) (d) pe- Ways. riphery of size andl contour` to be combined Referring to F ig. 1, there is shown a censo with one or more similar elements. tral square (in solid lines) surrounded by 8 65 A further object of the invention is to pro- Squares (in dotted lines) Which serve as a vide mosaic elements Which permits a maXipattern for laying out a family of curves inmum of ornamental designs to be produced tended to be used in constructing a finished with a minimalv number of elements and tile. Using the peripheral points of contacts with a minimum .of elements of different size. of the assembly of squares as centers (points 70 The fundamental geometric principle upon indicated by small complete circles) a series which the method of outlining the mosaic eleof arcs are struck oiil having a radius equal ments is based is the same as that disclosed to the diagonalA of any square. Thus curve in French Patent blo- A 530.729, 12th October 13,13l is obtained by striking oiiian arc from 30 1920, to the same inventor and consists in the lower right hand corner of the square in 75 combining elementary curves outlined on a the middle of the lowest row of squares as tile so that theradii employed area function a center. i If the side of any square is taken 0f as unity, this diagonal has a length equal to 35 i/ 2/2; 80 times the length of one side, saidl curves By striking off a series of such curves from having their centers on the sides, or on the peripheral corners of the outer row the diagonals of any given tile, on the of squares, curves C E2, B H2, A G2, Cl H, sides or diagonals of the tiles adjacent to the etc., are obtained, points A, B, C and D rep- 40 latter, or on the prolongation of any of the resenting the vertices'of the central square 85 above enumerated sides or diagonals- In the and F2, H-l, G2, El, H2, F1, E2 and Gr;L the prior patent, however, arcs of circles or the points of intersection of the various curves surfaces limited by said arcs Were used to With the respective sides of the central r decorate a square tile. The juxtaposition of square. Points I, K, L and M designate these tiles in various Ways yielded an indefipoints of intersection of the various curves One of the ob'ects of the invention is to eral arcs of circ es. The contours of these with one another. When it is desired to construct a decorative block any part or the whole of the arcs extending between the points shown in Fig. 1 are laid out on the articles to be cut to shape and the article is then formed to conform to this shape. Thus in Fig. 2, one side of the tile is formed by part of curve B L, another side is formed by curve A K, while the third side is formed of parts of curves L El, and K E2, point E representing the intersection of the curves which if, extended, would terminate at E1 and E2 respectively. Figs. 3 to 10 show various forms of tiles composed in this way. It will be noted that, in each of `these figures the characters, E, F, H and G have been used to designate points, which lie anywhere on the curves passing through E1 or E2, F1 or F2, H1 or H2, Gl-or G2 respectively; Thus in Fig. 7, A F is part of the curve A F1 (Fig. l), Al G corresponds to part of curve A G2, etc., etc. As indicated on page 2, lines 1l and 12, the angles between the curves may be varied at will, but should bear a definite relation to one another. If desired, these angles may be chosen so as to correspond directly to the angle between two of the intersecting curves shown in Fig. 1. Thus, in

Fig. 2, angle B L E corresponds to angle B L El of Fig. 1 and angle A K E to angle A K E2; in Fig. 3, angles H L E, E K F, Fv I G, ma be laid out to correspond to angles H2 El, E2 K F1, F2 I G, respectively; in Fig. 4 angle F K C corresponds to Fl `K C, angle G I D to Gl I D, etc., etc. he various angles may be spaced off from one another by intercalating tangent curves as shown in Fig. 4.

.Iuxtaposition of blocks of various contours results in any one of ornamental designs shown' in Figures 11 to 19. Figs 11 to 14V show various color combinations of mosasics made up of tiles of the type illustrated in Figs. 7 and 9. Figs. 15 and 16 are the result of combining the blocks shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 8. Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are made up of elements having the shapes shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 10. In each of these gures the various numerals refer to tiles having the form shown in the figures designated Yby said numerals. Y

The simplest and easiest basis-for form-V ing the contours of the elements is by making use of arcs of circles all having a` radius equal to the length of the side of the funda-- mental square multiplied by the square root ofl two and by displacing the center of each arm of the curve relatively to the sides, the diagonals and the corners. The above pro cedure was employed in connection with the tracing of the various above described forms. It is to be understood, however, that the mosaic elements ma be madeup of systems of curves having di 'erent radii and common tangents. When thus formed, the blocks cannot be juxtaposed at all parts of their contours, but must be combined along limited portions thereof. This disadvantage, as coinpared to blocks formed on curves having a single radius, is counterbalanced by the in creased number of combinations which may be obtained and by the correspondingly increased flexibility in the number of possible ornamental designs. This latter type of mosaic is particularly useful where the mosaic does not have to be constructed in place from the detached elements, but may be composed in the shop. In such a case, complete decorative combination made up to tit supports of fixed dimensions may be inserted intact intoithe supporting structures or the mosaic lmay be put in place by means of the usual operations of cutting and joining with an adhesive.

Obviously, the foregoing methods of outlining mosaic designs is not to be considered as being limited to the use of any special material. It can be employed equally well with natural stone, brick, terra cotta, fayence, porcelain, enamel, wood, glass, linoleum, rubber, etc., etc. Various combinations of curves representing any desired grouping of curvilinear' triangles and polygons may be laid out on a sheet of paper and the printed reproductions'used as a skeleton for laying out colored ornamental designs. Thus uncolored prints showing the outlines of the curves represented in Figs. 17, 18 and 19 may be filled in with color to give the various ornamental patterns shown in the several iUures.

The invention lends itselfD especially to the manufacture of inlaid linoleums, wherein the mosaic elements are stamped out with a die and'joined to produce a mosaic design. It can, of course, be equally well applied to the ornamentation of carpets, rubber flooring and ordinary linoleum.

When it is desired to form a tile or mosaic element, 8, square elements and a central element are either laid out on a sheet of paper or actually placed together, and a series of arcs having a radius which is some function of ,/2 times the length of one side of one element are struck off from any of the sides or diagonals of any one tile, or from the sides or diagonals of an adjacent tile, or from the prolongations of any of the above enumerated sides or diagonals. If the lay-out has been made on paper, any arc or arcs or portions thereof may be transferred in any way desired to a mosaic block intended to be formed in accordance with the invention, or these arcs or portions thereof may be used to lay-out a die (for cutting out linoleum or the like) or any other forming device having the shape of the mosaic elements it is desired to produce (see Figs. 2 to 10). The mosaic element or die or other forming devices thus laid out may be cut or formed in any Way desired. Then the mosaic elements are inished they may be laid together along curves of common curvature to produce a variety of ornamental designs.

That I claim is:

A mosaic element comprising a block having limiting edges formed in part of a plurality of curves having common tangents.

n testimony whereof I have hereunto set'J iny hand.

FERNAND JOSEPH RHODES. 

